In a world where shooters rain supreme with heavy hitters like Call of Duty, Halo, and Battlefield, it is safe to say that the genre plays a huge role in today’s gaming-scape. With the inception of these titles, another form of shooter has been on the rise resulting in its own Call of Duty mode and sub-genre: extraction shooters. If you haven’t heard of the very niche genre, look no further than Escape from Tarkov, Hunt: Showdown, and now….Gray Zone.
As a Marine Corps Veteran, I have always loved games like DayZ, Hunt: Showdown, and even started to learn Escape from Tarkov. The tactical aspect and objective realism have always been something I admired and enjoyed, and, with what Gray Zone brings to the table, I can hopefully say I am enthused.
Fire When Ready
The first thing I noticed loading into Gray Zone was the familiarity of games like Escape from Tarkov. There are differences, like picking a faction to belong to that corresponds with a specific base and can even lock you out of playing with friends if they are in a different faction. This plays into the gameplay loop, which I will touch on more later. You have a storage system, you have vendors with “tasks,” a leveling system that corresponds with gear, and a dedicated operator to customize how you see fit. You can kit yourself out with a plate carrier, mags, Kevlar helmet, tactic-cool belt, and all kinds of gear to use in your adventures.
The customization doesn’t stop there, either; gunsmithing and some knowledge of firearms can be particularly useful as you customize your rifle down to the gas tube. This system is not something particularly new but felt familiar because of my time with Tarkov. Thankfully, because of familiarity with the genre and life experience, I never found much of an issue with learning how to pick apart my rifle and customize it as I unlocked other parts.
The best part that I found with the customization is that the fat has been trimmed down to what was convenient upon loading into your particular faction’s base. Everything can be accessed, changed, and manipulated from the get-go. This convenience made understanding the game easy for me because I could simply load in, kit myself out, and immediately call in a helicopter to take me into the beautiful unknown.
Tourist Wars
When I say beautiful unknown, I mean absolutely dazzling in detail and color. From high settings to low settings, Gray Zone had my jaw on the floor in awe of what UE5 is capable of. Now, that praise comes with some criticism; I did have some issues with stutters and frame drops, even on low settings. For a game in early access, this is not uncommon, but I did see significant improvements from when I started.
As you load into your base, you must determine whether to load into PvE or PvPvE servers, and this will bear a reflection on your experience. Full well knowing just how punishing this genre is with having one life and potentially losing your gear forever, I started my experience in PvE.
Once your helicopter drops you into the tropical wasteland, you are greeted with insanely detailed foliage, rustic favela’s, and empty streets with threats around every corner. The potential to be absolutely murdered by AI is ever present and a genuine threat. I experienced it many times as I started to get used to my surroundings and starting clearing buildings like I used to train to do. There were multiple times I found the enemy presence to be moving to where they last saw me and screaming trash talk with the threat of lead being thrown in my general direction. These created moments of tense action certainly had my adrenaline pumping.
Tap, Rack, Bang
What is great about this genre, and what Gray Zone has captured, are those moments where you really have to think and try to out position your opponent. NPC or not, these moments are stressful and so rewarding when you come out on top. With a very detailed control scheme, it important that everyone get an understanding of each mechanic. Knowing you can even position yourself on a crouch-worthy piece of cover and shift your head to peak up or down is something that can mean the difference between keeping your gear and life. Nuances like leaning and going prone are here, too, and important. Every move and decision you make can have different results.
Gun play functions exactly like you would expect but with the same systems that you might be familiar with. Everything from tactical reloads to point shooting, Gray Zone aims to capture the essence of realistic gun fights and altercations. And with the stark realism and threat of death present, it gives the player an experience every time they leave base to complete a task or scavenge for gear.
With these realistic shooting mechanics, what kind of a tactical realism shooter would this be without a detailed health system? With this in place, it makes your gear all the more pertinent with helmets having stats for protection and the same with plate carriers and vests. If you get shot in the arm or leg, it will affect how your character moves and handles their weapon. My biggest complaint for this system is that it takes some trial and error to figure out which item heals what, and some statuses can be very detrimental to your experience. For example, the first time I experienced nausea, it makes your screen very blurry and disorienting. I tried everything I had stashed in my bag, med wise, to fix the status while clearing out some local buildings for a task yet, unfortunately, could not find the item I needed to heal that specific status.
Respawn, Die, Respawn
This brings me to the biggest criticism of Gray Zone. It would do worlds of change if there was an accurate tutorial. What this title sets out to do is give you an experience that is littered with the highs and lows of realistic extraction shooters but with a much more convenient and player-friendly approach, which I would argue is something this genre needs. Any time I have picked up one of these titles, it has required someone teaching me the basics or catching an enthusiastic YouTuber with a guide. With how easy it is to load into your base and go straight to the action, there is quite a bit of a learning gap to feeling like an experienced operator and trying to figure out how to call in a helicopter to extract you or drop you off.
Making a home in this sub-genre is no easy feat, and Madfinger Games has crafted something thoughtful and engaging at the base of its design. I look forward to seeing Gray Zone grow into a fully-fledged title that places emphasis on being more user-friendly than its competitors. With that being said, the potential Gray Zone has is immeasurable.
